St. Luke's Blogs

Christmas Eve of 2009 was one that most Oklahomans won’t soon forget. That year we got one of the worst blizzards in our recent memory. Parts of Oklahoma City would get more than 10 inches of snow with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour and snow drifts that were more than three feet tall. For an area that isn’t used to getting more than a dusting of snow, this was a big deal.

A state of emergency was declared, highways began to be shut down, cars were left abandoned all over the roads as they got stuck in the snow, and it quickly became obvious that this Christmas Eve would look different than any other in my life. We had always gone to Christmas Eve Candlelight Services at St. Luke’s. After worship, we would usually go to my grandparents’ house where we would have our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of chili and tamales followed by drinking apple cider while we opened Christmas presents.

As churches all around the area began to announce they would be closing and we realized we would not get to experience the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service that year, we went ahead and made the trip over to my grandparents’ house to have dinner and open gifts together. It was certainly a different Christmas Eve than we had anticipated, but in the end, it is one I look back on with fondness and one I will always remember.

And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. – Luke 2:7-20

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. The holiday lights, decorations, festivals, activities, and of course, Christmas Eve Candlelight Services. Growing up, my dad was a pastor of Pentecostal Holiness churches and we did some Christmas activities at the church. We did not do all the things that take place at St. Luke’s during Advent, however in 1998, we made plans to do a large Christmas musical. This musical needed around 50 people to pull it off; children, youth, adults, choir, musicians, and tech team. For our church that was about half of our weekly attendance.

In 2018, I was privileged to travel with several members of St. Luke’s to Israel. Part of our pilgrimage took us into the wonderful town of Bethlehem. The beautiful community of Bethlehem is filled with historical wonders. It is the city of King David, and it is the birthplace of Jesus, our Lord. Today, the ancient is surrounded by the modern.

When we visited Bethlehem, we went to see the Church of the Nativity. This beautiful church is built on top of what is said to be the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. We went to the Nissan Brothers store in Bethlehem. This amazing place was filled with hand-crafted treasures, mostly made from olive wood. Their workshop was in their store, and it was so amazing to see the work being done. I brought home several things to help remember my experience.

As we explored the beautiful city of Bethlehem, I found one place where I could truly feel the presence of God. It was not in one of the beautiful, ancient churches. It was not in the busy streets and shops of Bethlehem, but in a field, just outside of the city…

Advent is always a season of reflection for me. It is a time to take account of the year and all its good and bad. Last year, it was much easier to sit and reflect, feel gratitude for good health, and remember the true meaning of Christmas. Although the reason behind the slow pace of 2020 holidays was difficult in so many ways, it did show me the importance of checking in and making time to do so.

I have a big, Italian family and we typically have many events leading up to Christmas. It is busy, chaotic, and mostly fun. While I missed the gathering of extended family, I did find comfort in the calm and quiet…

The pandemic has certainly rocked our world. It brought unexpected change, loss, and fear into our lives. I love people and I love our congregation, so one of the personal losses I have felt during the pandemic was the loss of a sense of community with family, friends, and our family of faith. Advent is the season leading up to Christmas Day. It is a time set aside for the preparation of our hearts and minds to fully celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Last year, as the season of Advent approached, we longed to find a way to help us all feel connected with one another, even though we were not together physically…

When I first began thinking about our theme for Advent, “The Hope and Fears of All the Years,” I immediately remembered learning about the Gestalt Principle in Psychology 101. This principle basically says, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Psychologists have studied this concept for more than 100 years.

Looking through this Gestaltic lens, we begin to understand how humans perceive patterns or configurations, not merely individual components. For example, we may see part of an image but our mind “fills in the blanks” so that we perceive how the entire image should look. A great illustration of this occurred in 2020 when we saw everyone in masks; despite not seeing their full face, we could (usually) figure out who the person was by their eyes, hair, and other features.

As we approach this Christmas season, I’m reminded how fragmented the holidays were in 2020…

I had such high hopes for 2020. A new decade. Would it be like “the roaring 20s” of a century ago? My favorite news program in high school was ABC’s 20/20. “THIS… is 20/20!” But most of all, I kept thinking about the 20/20 vision analogy. Clear vision. I thought perhaps the cloudy mysteries of the future would come into focus in 2020.

As we all know, most of our hopes for 2020 were replaced with unimaginable fears by mid-March. The pandemic swept across the world. I felt a sense of guilt whenever I went to the grocery store. Was I endangering my family because I wanted a gallon of milk? Everything was a conflict. We received conflicting advice on how to deal with COVID-19. Some friends and family members got the virus and had the sniffles, while others died. Why? 2020 was full of confusion and fear. Surely, 2021 would be the year of hope.

Well, here we are at the end of 2021, and the pandemic is still around. Many still live in fear, afraid to leave their house, visit friends and family, or come to church. We all deal with fear in different ways, based upon our personal experiences. Thankfully, God understands every single one of our fears.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. – Luke 1:26-35

2020 was a hard year for so many, and for so many reasons. For this retired pastor who loves Advent and Christmas, I really struggled. I retired in July of 2020 and one of my fears upon retirement was the thought of not leading in worship on my favorite night of the year, Christmas Eve. Honestly, while I love all seasons and all worship, I wait all year for that one holy moment when we stand, light our candles, and sing Son of God, loves pure light. For me, that one holy moment erases all thoughts of the many hours worked and family sacrifices. At that moment, with the sanctuary filled with the light of our candles, faces glowing with love and hope, I can tell you that the light of Christ flooded my soul, and every year, I would think “there’s nothing better than this sacred and holy moment”…